In 2000, Pei, at the age of 83, accepted the commission from the Emir of Qatar for the museum project.

Pei admitted that he, having been born in the East and educated in the West, did not know much about the middle part of the world, even though he had been to the Middle East many times as a tourist.

“I have never looked at the work of art or the work of architects as a religious expression of Islam,” Pei said.

Hence, for this project, Pei embarked on a quest for the essence of Islamic architecture.

He began his journey of discovery in Tunisia, where he was drawn to ancient fortresses glimmering in the sunlight of the desert.

In Monastir, a city on the central coast of Tunisia, Pei found that the cubic form is a major theme of Islamic architecture.

He also went to Spain, where he studied the Grand Mosque of Cordoba. For a while he regarded it as the high point of Islamic architecture, but later thought it was “too lush and too colorful” to be the essence of Islam.

He paid a visit to the Mosque of Ibn Tulun in Cairo, Egypt, which features a beautiful yet simple architecture rich in geometric forms. The sun brings it to life and transforms it into a magical form.

Pei is renowned of incorporating geometry in his designs. For instance, his masterpiece at the Louvre in Paris consists of numerous glass triangles forming a perfect pyramid.

After half a year of travel and observation, Pei came up with his first draft of the museum, featuring white cubes which produce shifting patterns of light and shade under the sun.

Transforming Pei’s design into an actual structure is not easy. At the peak of its construction, over 1,600 of engineers, designers and skilled workers participated in the project.

The honeycomb ceiling was one of the most difficult aspects of the building. It was made of pure concrete, with no paint or tiles, which meant it had to be done perfectly in one go.

Imam Dali, the project manager, admitted that it was extremely difficult to make, adding that he thought no one would attempt to do it elsewhere in the world.

Still, nothing was impossible for Pei and his team, in whom he has great confidence.

Perry Chin, a partner of Pei for many years, finds the master a very positive person. “Pei is always smiling no matter how bad things are. He is always very positive with lots of energy. In short, he is a very charming man.”

The Museum of Islamic Art is probably Pei’s final large-scale project for a cultural building.

“You have to somehow know the right time to do things and when not to do it any more, and somehow I have a feeling that I shouldn’t be doing too much any more. That is a sad part of it. Well, good feeling is that I have done enough. I’ve done a lot already,” Pei said, smiling.

Human Profile — Learning from Light with I.M. Pei will air on RTHK TV Channel 31 on July 2 at 8:30 p.m.

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